What a Wonderful Life
by CalliopeSloan
Summary: It's Sofia's fifth birthday and Mark takes a minute to reminisce about what his life has come to. WARNING: Mark/Callie pairing so don't expect Callie/Arizona to be endgame. You've been warned so read at your own risk.
**A/N:** I don't own these characters because if I did Mark Sloan would not be dead and my heart would not be broken. That is all. Enjoy the story. It's been a while since I've written one of these so go easy on me. Or not. Your choice.

* * *

It's his daughter's fifth birthday and he doesn't know whether he's happy that his little girl is growing up or horrified that she's _growing up_.

It seems like just yesterday she was just this little thing that fit so perfectly in his arms and now she's her own person that rarely lets him hold her. Apparently to her, being a big girl means that she doesn't get carried around like a baby. Her words, not his. He's pretty sure he almost cried the first time she told him that she didn't want to be carried anymore.

God, he remembers the late nights that he had to stay up bouncing her in his arms around his apartment because that was the only way she'd go to sleep. He remembers despising the fact that his daughter needed to be held to go to sleep and hates himself for it. Those moments of sleep deprivation should've been cherished because now his little girl only requires a goodnight kiss from her mommy and daddy and her Disney Princess night light to go to sleep. It breaks his heart, but he knows he has to accept it.

He's been laying in bed thinking about how hectic the day ahead was gonna be. Both he and Callie are off but their daughter isn't. He tried to get Callie to let the kid have a day off from school but she fixed him with her signature glare and staunchly denied his request. He even went as far as trying to persuade Sofia to ask Callie herself but his daughter shook her head and informed him that she had to go to school on her birthday because she had to pass out the cupcakes that she'd bought with Callie the day before. "Duh, daddy," She told him a matter-of-factly. He knew better then to challenge either of them and simply gave in to the fact that his baby girl would have to spend half her day with a bunch of other snot-nosed kids rather than with him.

Looking over at the clock on his nightstand, he sees that it's just about seven and his daughter will be up any time now. Pulling himself out of bed, he made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before pulling on a pair of sweats. He didn't even bother putting on a shirt before he made his way out of his apartment and across the hall to the mother of his child's apartment.

It's cool in the apartment when he lets himself in and it's quiet. That means neither his daughter or Callie are up. Those two could sleep the day away if they could. He laughs to himself about the many times Sofia has been late to school because the two are such heavy sleepers as he quietly walks towards his daughter's room. He pushes the door open and smiles at the sight before him. Sofia is curled up in to a tiny ball in the middle of her bed with only her feet sticking out from under the covers. He lingers for a moment before deciding to let his little girl sleep for a while longer then turns toward Callie's room.

Like their daughter, Callie's curled up on her side with her feet hanging out from beneath the covers. It blows his mind sometimes how much their daughter is like them. She's got Callie's good looks and both their personalities. As scary as that sounds, she's the best thing that's ever happened to them. He kicks the door shut a little more than it was when he walked in and doesn't even hesitate to climb in next to the sleeping beauty – his sleeping beauty. Callie stirs a little but doesn't wake as he covers them both with the blanket and pulls her into his arms. Only when he nuzzles his nose in her hair does she blink her eyes open and look at him over her shoulder. She gives him this tired smile that makes his heart race way too fast for it's own good before snuggling back against his chest.

"I don't remember inviting you in here, mister," She says after a few moments of silence has passed between them.

"That's not what you said last night," He replies and laughs when she tiredly elbows him in the ribs. "Don't act like you're not loving this right now, Callie."

"Shut up."

They both laugh this time and then the silence takes over again. Both of them are probably laying awake thinking the same thing but neither will dare say it out loud for the fear of ruining a rare moment of peace between them.

His eyes start to drift close as his exhaustion starts to set in when he finally hears it; what he's been waiting for. Callie tries to stifle the sniffle that her body refused to let her hold in but he hears it. He doesn't say anything as he pulls away just enough to turn her over and cradle her against his chest. Her tears are falling against his bare shoulder and he rubs her back as she whimpers almost uncontrollably in his arms. Since the birth of their daughter, Mark has gotten used to these moments where Callie gets emotional over something having to do with their baby girl. He gets emotional too, at times, he's just better at covering it up. Plus, he's the dude. He's gotta be strong for her when she's not able to be strong for herself and he's perfectly fine with that. It was the role he was born to play.

"Our baby's five today, Mark," Callie finally lets out after her tears have thankfully subsided. If there's one thing Mark Sloan can't handle it's a crying Callie Torres. There's just something about that face and those tears that makes him want to take the pain away and make sure she never has to shed any ever again.

Mark nods against her. "I know this."

"Next thing we know she's gonna be graduating from high school, going off to college, then she'll be getting married— "

"Woah," He cut in abruptly, his eyebrows furrowing furiously. "Who said she was getting married? She's—no. _No_." He can't even begin to think about his little pig-tailed wearing daughter walking down an aisle to some – _person_ that's supposed to just step in and take over his job. Nope. It's not ever happening, he decides quickly.

"Our daughter's amazing and cute as a button, it's inevitable. Someone's gonna wife that girl up as soon as possible and not even the wrath of her very overprotective father is going to stop it."

"Yeah well, we'll just see about that. She's never getting married and that's final."

She laughs and nuzzles her face into his neck. He doesn't know why she's laughing. He's serious. Like dead serious.

Shaking away the horrifying thoughts of his daughter growing up, Mark focuses back on the woman who gave him the child he never really knew he even wanted. The realization of what the day meant to their little makeshift family has finally passed and now they're just two parents laying there, awaiting the moment their sweet little girl will come bounding in to find them. In the meantime, Mark's hand slowly starts to make its way from around Callie's shoulder to trail down her side before finally coming to rest at her hip. His fingers seem to have a mind of their own as they start to dip below the elastic material of her panties. Callie seems to notice the sudden lack of barrier between their skin and pulls away slight to raise an eyebrow up at him.

"What?" He asks obliviously. "My hand's just simply resting there. Since you haven't made any move to put a stop to it, I'm just gonna assume that it's okay." They're both wearing challenging looks on their faces, daring the other to break first. Eventually, it's Callie who loses the unspoken battle and she just rolls her eyes as she throws a leg over his hip.

"You're a horrible influence on me."

"You like it."

"Shut up."

Surprising them both, Mark actually does and instead, puts his lips to better use. They land somewhere on Callie's neck and his hands are at it again. He can feel himself starting to stiffen in his pants but he ignores his own pleasure in favor of making sure Callie gets hers. If there's one thing he loves about this gorgeous beauty beside him, it's how she only lets herself be vulnerable with certain people. He happens to be one of those people and he's a damn lucky man because of it. She's just usually got this super hard shell that, over the years, has hardened due to the fact that every single person she opened her heart up to ended up trampling right over it.

Mark's spent many nights consoling her into the wee hours of the morning, reminding her that she deserved so much more than what she was getting. He's sat by and watched as people walked in and out of her life and it was only when their daughter was conceived did he realize that he was through watching people walk all over her. As he presses kisses to her neck and moves her body closer to his, he can't help but reminisce a bit about the past that's brought them both to where they are today.

There was the whole George thing that no one even likes to bring up anymore and then there was Erica. God, that woman destroyed Callie and Mark's been waiting for her to show up so he could give her a piece of his mind ever since. Callie was left heartbroken and as much as Mark wanted to just swoop her up in his arms and carry her off in to his cave to shield her away from the world that seemed to be out to get her, he just stood beside her and helped her through it. He was her best friend at the time, what else was he was supposed to do?

Not long after Erica left did Arizona Robbins blow in to Callie's life. Mark didn't really take an immediate liking to the all-too bubbly blonde but as the years passed and their relationship progressed, Mark made peace with it. With her. Despite her passive aggressive attitude, she seemed to make Callie happy. That's all Mark ever wanted for her; happiness. Plus, he had his own woman to make him happy. Lexie Grey tumbled her way in to his life by complete accident but he wouldn't have changed it for the world. Sure their relationship was a little strange and tricky in the beginning but once the dust settled and everyone got used to them, it was actually kind of great. They had their bad times – really bad times – and their good times. Overall, it was a pretty decent relationship. The most functional – if you could call it that – relationship that Mark had had thus far. But his long-lost daughter showed up and caused some havoc in his relationship. Lexie couldn't handle the idea of being step-mother-whatever to a grown adult – a pregnant grown adult at that, and regrettably left him. He was upset, no doubt, but he understood. Lexie was young and just getting in to her life as a surgeon. He didn't want to be the one to hold her back so he inevitably let her and their relationship go.

Then Arizona decided to be a bitch and leave his best friend in the middle of the airport. He had been the one to pick her up and drop her off at a hotel that night (despite his insistence that she go home with him) and he saw, firsthand, how much damage the Carter Madison grant-winning surgeon had done.

It took Callie a while to get back to her old self after that. The burden of being left time and time again had finally taken its' toll on her and she had been in a funk for some weeks after Arizona boarded that plane without her. Mark was by her side the entire time. She hadn't broken down like she normally did but he knew when she finally did, he would be there to catch her. It was a role he was born to play. Callie leapt in to things with no remorse and Mark was always at the other side waiting to catch her.

 _The breakdown finally came one night as they were sitting in his living room, stuffing themselves full of crappy Chinese food. Mark had asked her if she was ever gonna get her place back (not that he didn't love having her live with him, it was actually the opposite), and she just burst in to tears. Being a witness to many of her tears, Mark moved quickly and pulled her into his arms and soothed her sorrows. They stayed like that for the remainder of the night. All the way 'till morning when they both woke up nestled together on the couch. Neither said anything as eyes stared longingly and lips started to inch closer. It was a simple kiss shared between friends. That's it. At least that's what they told themselves at the time. Callie was hurting and Mark was providing some comfort. Nothing more, nothing less._

 _However, what Mark seemed to have forgotten over the three years that he and Callie were in respective relationships was how hard it was just to be near her and not want to ravish her for all hours of the day. He hadn't felt things like that for his best friend since they were sleeping together once upon a time and now that these feelings were suddenly resurfacing was freaking the crap out of him._

 _The night that they all went out out to Emerald City Bar to celebrate Derek and him landing the grant, she looked quite fuck-able. When the group of them met in the lobby of the hospital, Mark could barely hold back the groan that left his mouth when he laid eyes on her. He knew that if he didn't get some alcohol in his system he would've pulled Callie into a supply closet and had his filthy way with her. But finally, they decided to make their way across the street and a beer was, thankfully, in his sights._

 _He would be lying if he said that he was expecting to sleep with her last night. Things were still so raw in both of their lives and the last thing either of them was expecting was to have sex with their best friend. But he would also be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Sex with Callie had always been mind-blowing but there was something about that night that just felt like coming home. There was no other way to explain it. It just felt right._

 _From there, things just kind of sky-rocketed. Callie's pregnancy was a surprise to everyone but neither seemed to care what anyone else thought. Callie had wanted a baby for the longest time, he knew that, and he had been baby-crazy for the better part of the last two years. Never did he see himself as the fatherly type but after his daughter Sloane had shown up, she kind of put things in perspective for him. He was getting older and he knew that what he really wanted out of life was a family. He just didn't know that he wanted that family to be with Callie, his best friend, at the time._

 _When Arizona came back, that's when things really hit the fan. Callie was distraught with the thought of the blonde making her way back in to her life but she couldn't deny still having loved the woman. That broke Mark's heart more than he was willing to admit. Watching Callie go back to her, with his child nestled safely inside her, was one of the hardest things he had ever had to witness. But who was he to say anything and keep her from going after what she wanted? He didn't have the balls to do the same anyway. So he stood on the sidelines as Arizona wormed her way into the life he thought he was building for himself._

 _It wasn't a surprise to him, or anyone else for that matter, when Arizona started to throw little fits about Mark being around. She never liked how close he and Callie were, even just as friends. Their roll in the sack was just further motivation for her to drive a wedge between him and everything he wanted in life. It got to the point where Mark would just stay away from the couple altogether. It killed him to be away from Callie during her pregnancy but with all the fighting and arguing that she had to put up with over him, he figured it was the best thing for all three of them. She didn't deserve to constantly have to defend him or their friendship so he made the decision to put some distance between them, knowing fully-well that Callie would never do it herself. Things changed pretty drastically after that. Mark used to see Callie everyday, multiple times a day and spend hours upon hours talking about who knows what, but soon, the most he did was smile at her in the halls at work. Callie didn't seem to notice the difference in their relationship dynamic so he guessed that what he did was the right thing._

 _Before he even realized it, five months had gone by and what was supposed to be the happiest time of his life had turned into worst time of his life. He and Arizona had been arguing about freaking nursery colors when he made the hardest decision he had ever had to make in his life. Callie was on her way home and he knew that if she walked in on them fighting (again), she would have a cow. He didn't even remember how they got to the topic of nursery colors but soon they were shouting at each other from across the room and that's when she said it._

 _"_ _Why do you think you even have a say in what's going to happen in this baby's life? All you are is a sperm donor! It's me and Callie and we're having this baby and what I say — "_

 _He pretty much tuned her out after that. He stood there, shell-shocked at how right she actually had been. Of course he never thought of himself as a sperm donor, he loved his unborn child with all this might, but Callie – to Callie, that probably all he was to her at this point. Her relationship with Arizona had pretty much gone back to normal and with the baby coming, it could only get better. Mark hadn't let himself think about what was going to happen after the baby came but now that he was - now that he was faced with the realization that he probably would always be outnumbered against the two, there was only one thing left to do: let go._

 _Neither of them noticed Callie standing by the door with a confused look on her face but when she cleared her throat, both pair of blue eyes turned to face at her._

 _"_ _What's going on?"_

 _Arizona looked pointedly at him and Callie's gaze did the same. Mark straightened his back and plastered a painful smirk on his face._

 _"_ _Nothing. I was just dropping off some stuff for the kid." He started past her but he felt her hand on his arm that caused him to stop in his way out the door. "Get some rest, okay?" He tells her before she can try to reason with him. "It's been a long day and I know your feet are probably killing you right now. Night, Torres." With that, he brushed past her and silently made his way across the hall to his own apartment._

 _That night, as he lay in bed staring up at his ceiling, he made a plan. He had to get out. He had to get away. The pain of not being able to fully be in his baby's life was too much for him to even think about but he didn't think he had a choice at that point. Running was what he was good at and if he left then – well, if he left, everything would be better for everyone. For Callie. The only thing he ever wanted in life was for Callie to be happy and with him there, she never would be, he knew that now._

 _The first person he talked to about his master plan was Derek. Derek spent hours trying to convince him that leaving was probably the worst possible thing he could do but Derek just didn't get it. He didn't get that being around his baby and not being able to hold her or cherish her whenever he felt like it, without Arizona's approval or under her watchful eye, would kill him. Literally kill him. The only thing he could do to spare his own heart was leave and hope that, in time, his baby would forgive him and understand why he was doing what he was doing. In the end, Derek relented and they came to an understanding._

 _From there, things just seemed to move at warp speed. He had been taking flights out to New York to try and secure himself a position at a hospital there and to see if he could get his old place back. Being in New York felt good. For the first time in a long time, he felt good. His heart continued to ache at the thought of the leaving Callie and their daughter behind but it's what he had to do. It may not have been what he wanted to do but Mark was used to doing things he didn't want to do. It only took him a couple weeks to secure a job in New York and a place to live. All that was left was to tell Callie. Unfortunately, someone else had already beaten him to it._

 _He was putting away some dishes in his kitchen one night when he heard his door barge open. He craned his neck from behind a cupboard door and saw Callie standing by the door with a furious look on her face and her arms crossed over her chest._

 _"_ _You're moving?"_

 _If looks could kill, Mark's sure he would've died right then and there._

 _"_ _Uh – yeah. I was going to tell you – "_

 _"_ _ **Why**_ _are you leaving?" She demanded, walking further into the apartment until only the breakfast bar separated them._

 _Mark set the plate he was putting away down and ran a hand over his forehead. "Look, Torres, it's just better this way, alright?"_

 _"_ _Better?! Better for who, Mark? For you?! You don't wanna be a father now? You're just gonna leave like this?"_

 _He tried to hold it together, he really did, but the anger building up inside him just couldn't handle it anymore._

 _"_ _No, Callie." He sneered, "Better for_ _ **you**_ _. Better for your girlfriend. Better for your_ _ **relationship**_ _." His heart was beating rapidly in his chest at this point but he was just getting started._

 _"_ _What the hell are you talking about?"_

 _"_ _Don't act like this is some all-of-a-sudden thing. You two have been pushing me out of the way ever since she came back with her tail between her legs five months ago. You can't stand there and tell me that if things could be different, I wouldn't even be in the picture."_

 _Callie's jaw dropped and he immediately slapped himself when he saw tears well up in her eyes. "I wasn't the one who pushed you away, Mark. You walked away. I wasn't the one who stopped talking to you, you stopped talking to me. So I don't know where the hell you're getting all of this but – "_

 _"_ _No," He stopped her, his face hardening. "I stepped back because me being around was turning your relationship to shit. I did that for_ _ **you**_ _even though it fucking killed me. It_ _ **killed**_ _me, Callie!"_

 _"_ _You didn't do anything for me. If you were really my friend, you would've seen that the last thing I needed you to do was walk away."_

 _"_ _What – " He shook his head furiously. "You're_ _ **kidding**_ _right? 'If I was really your friend?' I am your friend, Callie, and as your friend I know when it's time to step away and let you guys have your space. All you did was fight about me and the baby, what did you expect me to do?!"_

 _Without missing a beat, Callie yelled back, "I expected you to be there for me, asshole!"_

 _"_ _I was there, Callie!" He slapped his hand down on the counter and his outburst caused her to jump back. Tears were in his eyes now and he didn't do anything to stop them. "I was there. I was there through everything. Through every break-up, through every heart ache, I was there. You just never saw me. You never saw me and you still don't see me now."_

 _"_ _What – "_

 _"_ _Just forget it," He sighed in defeat, finally calming down and realizing that the added stress and exertion probably wasn't good for her or the baby. "I leave in two weeks. I promise you won't have to worry about anything. I'll send you money and pay for anything you or the baby need. And I promise I won't interfere. You and Arizona are gonna be great parents." He standing beside the door now and opened it slowly for her._

 _"_ _Mark, come on."_

 _"_ _It's okay, Cal." He said sadly, trying his best to muster up somewhat of a smile, "I would've made a horrible father anyway."_

 _Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she made her way over to him. "That's not – "_

 _"_ _Callie?"_

 _They both turned and saw Arizona standing in the doorway of the apartment the two shared. Mark didn't look her way once but his attention on the mother of his child. "It's okay," He repeated, his heart breaking with each word he uttered. "I'll see you around, Torres." Closing the door on her and their unborn child was the hardest thing he ever had to do but it had to be done._

 _The two weeks that led up to his departure passed in a blur. He hadn't seen Callie since that fateful night and it hurt when he didn't see her in the crowd that banded together at the hospital to see him off. He plastered on his infamous McSteamy-grin and threw winks at all his past conquests (mostly nurses) and took one last look at Seattle Grace before walking out._

 _The entire ride to the airport was filled with thoughts of Callie and their baby. He wondered if their daughter would have his eyes or his nose. He was sure she would get Callie's unruly hair because, well, that hair was just too good to be withheld from someone as perfect as a baby girl made by both of them. The cab stopped at the airport terminal and Mark paid the man before making his way in. Being a frequent flyer had come with many perks and it only took him about a half hour to get checked in and through TSA. He sat at the designated gate for his flight for about forty minutes before they finally started to board. He gathered his things when they called first-class passengers over the PA system and moved to get in line. Before he could, however, he distinctly thought he heard someone call his name but shook it off. Mark was a common name, he rationalized. The yelling got louder and Mark turned around to find Callie Torres, an eight-month pregnant Callie Torres, waddling her way over to him. He dropped his carry-on bag in shock and was glued to his spot in the middle of the airport until she was near enough for him to believe that it was actually her and not just a figment of his imagination._

 _When she was finally close enough, she flung herself at him and held him close to her. He couldn't tell whose heart was beating faster but he would bet big money on it being his._

 _"_ _I see you," She whispered, so softly that he could barely hear her in the busy airport environment. "I see you, Mark."_

He must've gotten lost in his thoughts because as soon as he shakes himself out of the very cherished memory, he sees her staring at him like he's grown another head.

"What's wrong?" She asks, cupping his cheek in her hand as her thumb moves slowly over the apple of it.

"Nothing," He says, smiling down at her before leaning forward to press their lips together. "Absolutely nothing."

A smile breaks out over Callie's face and he swears it makes his heart flutter. He's a manly man and all but god, she's just so beautiful. He tells her that everyday but he doesn't think she really knows just how beautiful she really is.

"Good."

She leans forward and presses a hard kiss to his mouth as her fingers find their way to his hair and start playing with it. His hands move over her body and pulls her closer to him as their lips open simultaneously. The first touch of tongue causes a shiver to run down the base of his spine and it takes everything in him not to rip her clothes off and lose himself in her for the next five hours. His hand moves to her luscious mane and tangles his fingers in it as he rolls her over onto her back. He feels her arms and legs wrap around him and he realizes that this is exactly where he wants to be for the rest of his life; completely trapped by her.

He pulls away to give them both a much-needed breather and looks down at her with nothing but love in his eyes while she looks back at him with what could only be described as desire. Bracing himself on his elbow, he pushes her hair off her face and takes in the deep flush of her cheeks, committing it to memory.

"I heart you, Sperm Donor."

They're not the kind of couple who says it all that often but that's okay because they don't need to say the words to know how they feel about each other. They've loved each other for a long time and he plans on loving her for a long time coming. He never thought he'd hear those words from her as more than just his friend but it's come to be one of his favorite things he's ever heard her say.

"I heart you too, Child Bearer."

This is his life and he couldn't imagine it any better than it already is.

Well, a son to carry on the Sloan name would be a nice addition but he'll bring idea that up to Callie after he's shown her the ring he's been carrying around in his pocket for the last month. He's sure she won't be able to deny him once she sees it. It's pretty damn irresistible but hey, he does have some amazing taste.


End file.
